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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | God's "Mind" or "Soul" in 1 Sam 2:25? | 1 Sam 2:35 | Makarios | 105999 | ||
Greetings Colin! Excellent question! According to the Strongest Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, the word translated as "mind" [KJV] in 1 Sam. 2:35 is the Hebrew word #5315 'nepes' or 'nephesh' (Greek equivalent: #5883) meaning "breath; by extension: life, life force, soul, an immaterial part of a person, the seat of emotion and desire; a creature or person as a whole: self, body, even corpse: [rendered as] soul [416 times], life [100], souls [58], lives [18], persons [13], heart [12], mind [11], creature [9]", and various other places in the KJV.. (1) All of the places in the KJV where 'nephesh' is translated as "mind" are: Gen. 23:8; Dt. 18:6; 28:65; 1 Sam. 2:35; 1 Chr. 28:9; Jer. 15:1; Ezek. 23:17,18-twice,22,28. Total - 11 times. As far as 'soul' and 'mind' being interchangeable, I would say that it is based more upon the interpretations of the translators than anything else, but this is a classic example as you have pointed out! The KJV, NKJV, ASV, RSV, ESV and Amplified all have "mind" in 1 Sam. 2:35, while the NASB has the more literal "soul" in place, perhaps due to consistency.. The translators of the KJV, NKJV, ASV, RSV, ESV and Amplified were clearly not as comfortable using "soul" in a place in Scripture that refers back to God. Does God have a "soul" like ours? That is why I believe that the KJV translators sought to put "mind" here instead of soul, since it refers back to God. However, I believe that the most accurate or literal rendering of 'nepes' in this verse is "soul" as the NASB has it. In the KJV, 'nepes' was rendered as "soul" 416 times, compared to only 11 times for rendering the same Hebrew word as "mind." Therefore, 'soul' would be the most literal translation of 'nepes' in 1 Sam. 2:35. Which do I think is the better choice? Extremely tough question, and putting me on the spot! :-) Let's take a step back and consider the REAL question here: Does God have a "soul" like ours? First of all, if God has a Soul in any way that would resemble our soul, then we can't think of His soul in the same way that we consider our individual souls, since God is a Triune God. You see, as God has three individual Persons, we also have a physical being, a mind and a soul. Jesus Christ, in His humanity, had a human soul and spirit (Matt. 26:38; Luke 23:46). But this does not include His Deity, in which I believe that His 'soul' can only be understood or described in terms of the Holy Spirit. God the Father is not known to us through Scripture as having a 'soul', even though we know His will. I believe that He Himself is beyond what we think of as having a 'soul', and His 'soul' can only be defined in terms of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has a will (1 Cor. 12:11). But the Holy Spirit is also illustrated as clothing (Luke 24:49), fire (Acts 2:3), water (John 4:14; 7:38-39) and wind (John 3:8; Acts 2:1-2). Therefore, if the Holy Spirit Himself can fit the very description in regards to God as compared to what we call 'a soul' in human terms (breath; by extension: life, life force, soul, an immaterial part of a person, the seat of emotion and desire; a creature or person as a whole: self, body, even corpse), then we could say that the Holy Spirit could serve as the "soul" of God. Or, perhaps, our souls, in and of themselves, are small "copies" of the Holy Spirit. :-) But that is another discussion. To come full circle, we could conclude that in 1 Samuel 2:35, "God would raise up for Himself a faithful priest who would do according to what is in His heart and in His soul (i.e., the Holy Spirit).." And that is what my choice would be as far as the best way to "amplify" this verse! Blessings to you, Makarios |
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2 | God's "Mind" or "Soul" in 1 Sam 2:25? | 1 Sam 2:35 | Makarios | 106001 | ||
Whups! I apologize! That single post took me about an hour and a half to write.. My cited reference (1) was: "The Strongest Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Of The Bible", 2001, Zondervan, James Strong, LL.D., S.T.D., Revised: John R. Kohlenberger III and James A. Swanson, Grand Rapids, MI. - Makarios |
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